Characterization of Carbon Films on the Japanese Smoked Roof Tile “Ibushi-Kawara” by High-Resolution Soft X-ray Spectroscopy

Abstract

Carbon films on the Japanese smoked roof tile “Ibushi-Kawara” were characterized by high-resolution soft X-ray spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation. By comparing the soft X-ray emission and absorption spectra of Kawara with the reference carbon compounds, it was determined that the carbon films on Kawara consist of mostly carbon-black-like sp2 carbon atoms and that the surface also contains polyethylene-like sp3 carbon atoms. The take-off/incident-angle dependence on the X-ray emission/absorption spectra of Kawara shows that the carbon-black-like sp2 carbon atoms partially form a layer structure oriented parallel to the basal clay plane, and that the degree of orientation of the carbon films is estimated to be 50% that of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The microstructure of the carbon films on Kawara is one in which half of the carbon-black-like sp2 carbon atoms form layer-structured clusters parallel to the basal clay plane and the rest of the carbon atoms form random-structured clusters which rigidly connect the layer-structured clusters.